The BPL Compass

Posts Tagged ‘digital’

One of the ways the BPL fulfills the Sustainable Organization principle and the accompanying outcome “Evaluate business practices and workflow to optimize efficiency” is through streamlining workflow in the collections, technology, and resource sharing areas. With the migration to a new integrated library system and the gradual expansion of the Digital Services operations, many workflows have changed over the past few years. With the anticipated opening of the Archival Center to the public, workflows will adjust once more. Some, but not all, of the efficiencies achieved are the result of new technology. Thorough training and hands-on experience have enabled staff members to learn to complete complicated tasks quickly and efficiently.

With millions upon millions of items to potentially digitize at the BPL, you would think we would have enough on our plates. But, in our role as a Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) Service Hub, we have taken on the digitization of collections across the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Any library, archives, museum, historical society, or other cultural heritage institution in the state is eligible for this service. We have already been engaged by over 150 different institutions seeking our help get their collections digitized and made available online.

Although it might seem strange or even imprudent to take on such a task in a day when resources can be stretched thin, we believe that extending our state-of-the-art digitization services beyond our walls significantly increases the value of our own collections.

The works of Lowell Mason are a perfect example. Boston Public Library’s music department holds significant materials by this turn of the century composer and teacher, and these materials are critical in understanding the history of public music education. The Lowell Mason Foundation, a small nonprofit organization based in Medfield, requested our services to have complementary items digitized. Once digitization is complete, these items will become unified, virtually, with the holdings of the BPL via Digital Commonwealth and the DPLA. As our materials are connected to these other resources, we will have created a more comprehensive online resource for researchers who otherwise would have had to travel to multiple locations. This ability to enable a high level of discoverability for small, local collections bolsters our position as a leader and an innovator for library services. This has been our reputation since our founding and a source of pride for Boston ever since.